According to a new study from Pew Research Center took stock of the year in social media and the findings show that a majority of us are connecting with each other online in a big way, with 73 percent of “online adults” using social media.

While Facebook continues to dominate the space with 71 percent of adults using it, 42 percent of this audience is using multiple networks. Pew’s data comes from phone interviews with 1,801 internet users, age 18 and older, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International in August and September.
But with the increase in social-media network choices – everything from Twitter to Pinterest and Instagram – and diversification occurring, determining where to invest your time and resources can be tricky.

Facebook

Sixty-three percent of Facebook users visit the site at least once a day and 40 percent visit multiple times during the day.

Forty-five percent of online adults 65 and older use Facebook, up from 35 percent in 2012.

The largest age group is between the ages of 19 and 29 (84 percent), followed by the 30-to-49-year-old group

Sixty-nine percent of adults with an income more than $75,000 utilize the network, a percentage much higher than its counterparts (LinkedIn came in second place with 38 percent)

Facebook has the highest percentage of people that have completed college at 68 percent.

Twitter

Forty-six percent of users visit daily and twenty nine percent check their feed multiple times throughout the day

The amount of Twitter users held somewhat steady, with 18 percent of online adults on the site, up from 16 percent in 2012.

Twitter is slightly more popular among women (18 percent) than men (17 percent), and use is highest among people between the ages of 18 and 29.

LinkedIn

Thirteen percent of users visit daily and about half say they use LinkedIn less than once a week

Men (24 percent) use the site more than women (19 percent), and is used the most among online adults with an income of $75,000/year or more

It is the only social network where usage among 50-to-64-year-olds was higher than those between the ages of 18 and 29.

LinkedIn came in second place for college completion (behind Facebook) at 38 percent

Pinterest

Twenty-three percent of Pinterest users visit sites daily and around half say they use the site less than once a week.

About 21 percent of internet users are on Pinterest, up from the 15 percent in 2012.

The site skews more toward female users (33 percent) rather than male users (8 percent) and users also tend to be on the “affluent side.”

Instagram

About 57 percent of Instagrammers visit the site more than once a day, with 35 percent using it multiple times during the day.

Seventeen percent of online adults are on Instagram, compared to 13 percent in 2012. Pew also noted that Facebook bought Instagram last spring, which could account for the jump.

Instagram is used by 20 percent of women, 15 percent of men and is most popular among people between 18 and 29.

Adoption rate for the African-American community has increased from 23 percent to 34 percent.